Nadiya Hussain’s Scissor Cut Pesto Pasta
If you've always wanted to make fresh pasta from scratch, this is the recipe for you. Nadiya Hussain simplifies the process to help you make pasta in a fresh pesto sauce with ease. As seen on Nadiya's Cook Once Eat Twice on BBC2.
From the book
Cook Once, Eat Twice
Creative, efficient, and cost-effective recipes that hero simple fresh ingredients.
Clever ideas for meal planning and transforming leftovers into delicious meals.
Stretch the weekly shop further with batch-cooked dinners and freezer-friendly bakes.
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Introduction
Pasta is so easy to make and once you’ve made it, you won’t want to buy dry pasta again. I mean, that’s a lie – you will always buy dry pasta because its super convenient! But when you make this, you will feel accomplished and really pleased with yourself, enough to make you want to do it over and over again. What’s even better is that you don’t have to shape the dough. We are just going to cut the pasta straight into the hot salty water.
Ingredients
| For the pasta: | |
|---|---|
| 200g | strong bread flour, sifted |
| 2 large | eggs |
| salt, for the water | |
| For the pesto: | |
| 100g | pine nuts |
| 100g | fresh basil leaves |
| 25 | fresh chives, chopped |
| 4 cloves of | garlic |
| 50g | Parmesan cheese, grated |
| 150ml | olive oil |
| 2 tsp | ground black pepper |
| To finish: | |
| 100g | cherry tomatoes halves |
| 170g | mozzarella pearls |
Essential kit
You will need: a blender.
Method
Start by making the pasta (I do this first to allow it some time to rest). Pour the flour on to the work surface and make a well in the centre. Crack the 2 eggs into the centre and, working your way from the centre and in circular motions, bring the flour together till you have a dough.
As soon as you have no more flour left, bring the dough together and knead till you have a smooth, shiny dough that is lovely and shiny. Cover the dough on the work surface with a tea towel and leave to rest while you make the pesto.
To make the pesto, start by toasting the pine nuts in a pan till they are golden brown and really toasted. This will enhance that nutty flavour. Cool the nuts down and pop into the jug of a blender.
Add the basil, chives, garlic, Parmesan, olive oil and ground black pepper. Blend till you have a smooth, beautiful green pesto.
You only need 3 tablespoons for this recipe, so pop the rest into a jar and add a little oil on top to help preserve it. Store in the fridge till you are ready to use. It will last in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Bring a large pan filled with water to a boil, add plenty of salt and take the dough into your hands. Take a pair of sharp scissors, grease and cut the dough straight into the water, you will know the pasta. Cook the pasta for a few minutes till it begins to come to the surface – fresh pasta cooks faster that dry.
Drain the pasta and add straight back to the pan. Add your pesto, along with the tomato and mozzarella, and mix through. It is now ready to demolish!
Reviews
From the book: Cook Once, Eat Twice
Cook Once, Eat Twice
Creative, efficient, and cost-effective recipes that hero simple fresh ingredients.
Clever ideas for meal planning and transforming leftovers into delicious meals.
Stretch the weekly shop further with batch-cooked dinners and freezer-friendly bakes.
